Sunday, December 2, 2012

Palestinian official accuses Israel of desperation after second punitive response to UN vote recognising state of #Palestine

Israel has seized more than $120million in tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority in resp

onse to last week’s overwhelming vote at the UN general assembly to recognise the state of Palestine.

The move came as the PA president, Mahmoud Abbas, returned to cheering crowds in Ramallah in the West Bank following Thursday’s vote, in which 138 countries backed enhanced “non-member state” status for Palestine. Only nine countries opposed the move and 41 abstained.

The financial sanction is Israel’s second punitive response to the vote. On Friday, it announced a big settlement expansion programme.

This is an outrageously unjust and vindictive act of retaliation. It would seem Israel under the current hard-liners could care less what the world thinkssince it appears to do nothing meaningfully interventionist, and as long as the U.S. continues to back Israel more or less right or wrong, why should it, Israel appears to say.

About Me

Deeply concerned about the vulnerability of the biosphere, the erosion of our democratic federal institutions, and the frightening power of corporations. I've been appalled for a few years now. Maybe it's time to get outraged/indignados